The Tight Lines Fishing Report is brought to you by Corey and Cam Gammill via Bill Fisher Tackle and Bill Fisher Outfitters. Visit their website, their shop at 127 Orange Street, or give them a call at (508) 228-2261.
Dear Fishermen and Friends,
Whether it is through chartering or fun fishing, we’ve taken every opportunity in the past week to be on the water as much as we can. I say we collectively, because all four owners of the shop and all our employees have used every free minute of time this week to be on the water. We have fished the flats, bottom fished, targeted stripers from the boat on the east side of the Island and the west side of the Island. We have fished the Harbor from the boat and beaches and have logged a lot of time on the South Shore.
We fished the west end of the Island by boat and it did not disappoint. We fished the edges north, south and west of Tuckernuck and Muskeget and caught fish in every location we stopped. We had fish up to 35 inches and a lot of slot sized fish (we let them all swim!). We did see a good influx of bluefish, which is a welcome sight but probably caught 80% bass. At one point, I sat back and watched four avid fisherman not even casting a rod. We all simply sat back and watched the show. It felt like were in a magical paradise interrupting a spectacle that shouldn’t be witnessed by man. There were fish rolling and slashing across the surface. We saw squid pop clear out of the water and sand eels spray like a hose nozzle. Since we were releasing our fish anyway, we decided to sit back and simply enjoy the show. As I grow older, its something I am doing more and more and it allows me to enjoy the experience that much more!
Striped Bass are certainly around the Island in abundance. From the boat, most of the edges are holding fish. There are times when you need to work the edges to find the pockets of productive water, but they are there. There are also a lot of fish in the flat water. The east side of the Island is fishing really well right now. Old Man and Pochick have plenty of fish. There have also been bass up the east side of the Island on pods of bait. In shore, the harbor continues to be really productive. The water temps have crept up, so you are better to fish in lower light or in deeper water in the harbor. I had an experience earlier the week when I fish at first light and witnessed hundreds of finning fish in the bends. Yes, I stopped and watched! Similarly, the North shore has been holding several fish. Most of these fish are caught around sunset. These fish are generally mellow, so don’t fish them too sporadically, but approach these fish thoughtfully.
The South Shore continues to produce. While you can catch fish at all times of the day if there are waves, it is becoming more important to fish during the low light hours. Fish your plugs slowly and deliberately. You don’t need to cast out, simply cast at a 45 degree angle and work the troughs closest to the beach. There are pods of fish that will move down the beach and you’ll go in spurts of catching several fish at a time and then slow periods. Use a larger profile swimmer or a big soft bait.
Bottom fishing is just kicking into gear. Fluke have showed up in our waters in mass and have been eating a ton. Jay Starr on Starfish Charters caught some huge fish including a 10lb fish this weekend. Most of these bigger fish are being caught on the southeast side of the Island. We also have Black Sea Bass migrating into our fishery. Most of these fish are smaller right now, but the big girls will be here any day. This is amazing table fare and simply a great time. Focus on fishing structure using bait and a braid set up.
Lastly, it seems as though the flats are setting up well. The fishing in the skinny water still has room to improve, but in time it will. The fish on the west end are so focused on the bait that they are not yet sliding in big numbers into the sound.
Go enjoy our fishery, it continues to be special.